


Author 




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§r0toii lliiibcrsitir. 



PROCEEDINGS 



IN KETKUKNCK TO TUK 



RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENT WAYIAND, 



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AN I) ■! II i; 



INDUCTION OF PRESIDENT SEARS. 









PROCEEDINGS 



CORPORATION AND OF THE ALUMNI 



BROWN UNIVERSITY, 



IN EEFEKENCE TO THE 



RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENT WATLAND, 



AND THE 



INDUCTION or PRESIDENT SEARS. 



PROVIDENCE: 
KNOWLES, ANTHONY & CO. TRINTBRS. 

1856. 



SOURC£ UNKmOitvM 

DEC 5 1944 



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At a regular meeting of the Executive Board of Brown 
University, held July 13th, 1855, President Wayland in- 
timated that he should resign his offices of President and 
Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy, to take 
effect at the close of the present collegiate year. 

A committee consisting of Messrs. M. B. Ives, Z. Allen 
and J. Kingsbury was appointed, to whom the subject 
was referred for consideration. 

At a special meeting of the Board, on the 31st of July, 
this committee reported that President Wayland felt it 
to be a matter of indispensable necessity to resign his 
present position. 

It was therefore voted, that it is expedient to call a 
meeting of the Corporation of Brown University to be 
held on Tuesday the 21st of August, at 10 o'clock A.M. 



MEETING OP THE COEPOEATION. 

At a meeting of the Corporation held on the 21st of 
August, President Wayland read the follovfing letter of 
resignation. 



Brown University, Aug. 20th, 1855. 
To THK Corporation of Brown University : 

Gentlemen : — After more than twenty-eight years ser- 
vice, the conviction is pressed upon me that relaxation 
and change of labor have become to me a matter of in- 
dispensable necessity. These, I am persuaded, cannot 
be secured while I hold the office with which you have so 
long honored me. I therefore believe it to be my duty 
to resign the offices of President of Brown University 
and Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy. If 
it be agreeable to you, I desire that this resignation may 
take place at the close of the present collegiate year. 

In sundering the ties which have so long bound us 
officially together, I shall not attempt to express the 
sentiment of gratitude and respect which I entertain 
towards the gentlemen of the Corporation of Brown 
University. For more than a quarter of a century we 
have labored together in promoting the cause of good 
learniDg, and specially in advancing the interests of this 
Institution. Those who, like myself were young men 
when I entered upon office, are with me beginning to 
feel the approaches of age. Yet during this long period 
no spirit of dissension has either divided our councils or 
enfeebled our exertions. We have beheld this Univer- 
sity year after year advancing in reputation and uscfal- 
ncss and diffusing more and more widely the blessings of 
education. Let us thank God for giving us this oppor- 
tunity of conferring benefits on mankind and for crown- 
insi- our labors with so large a measure of success. 



Permit me, gentlemen, to tender to eacli one of you the 
assm-ances of my grateful regard, and believe me to be 
With the highest respect, 

Your ob't servant,, 

F. WAYLAND. 

President Wayland having called the senior Fellow, 
the Eev. Dr. Crocker to the Chair, retired. 

After remarks by several members of the Corporation, 
showing that President Wayland had come to this decis- 
ion deliberately, and that he could under no circum- 
stances be induced long to delay such a result, it was 
voted, that the resignation of the Eev. Dr. Wayland be 
accepted. 

The Chancellor, Samuel Boyd Tobey, M. D. then ad- 
dressed the Corporation as follows : 

Gentlemen of the Corpoeation: — 

We all feel sadness at this hour. Our present official 
connection with President Wayland is soon to terminate. 
The important services he has rendered this Univer- 
sity for nearly twenty-nine years press upon our memory. 
His unwearied exertions — ^his zeal — ^his power in pro- 
moting the interests of this Institution of learning, arc 
vividly before us. His name has been a tower of strength. 
But with these convictions we are bound also to remem- 
ber that this resignation is with him no sudden movement. 
For several years he has apprehended that the time was 
near when it would be right for him to ask to be released 
from his present position, that he might devote a portion 



6 



of the da}-,? yet allotted liim to the fulfilment of other 
duties, which he feels himself called upon to perform for 
the advancement of literature, the promotion of religion 
and the good of his fellow citizens. He has been ad- 
monished that continued persistence in one field of labor 
may interrupt the vigorous and healthy action of the 
best balanced physical and mental powers. He believes 
that the time has now fully come for him to retire from 
the Presidency of this University. We will not attempt 
to detain him. Let us rather thank him for the sacrifice 
he has made in giving so many of the best years of his 
life to the interests of the University, not doubting he 
will find a rich reward in the consciousness that he has 
been eminently useful. Let us invoke for him the bles- 
sing of Heaven, and pray that his life may long be spared, 
that his pen may continue to record his well-considered 
and instructive thoughts, that his voice may still be often 
heard, fearless in condemning error — eloquent in the 
support of truth. 

With a view of giving utterance to what I doubt not 
is the spontaneous feeling of every heart, I take the 
liberty of presenting the following resolutions : 

Wheeeas, the Rev. Francis Wayland, D.D. LL, D. has 
tendered to this Corporation his resignation of the 
offices of President of Brown University and Professor 
of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy ; 

Resolved, That in accepting this resignation the Cor- 
poration deem it proper to express their high sense of 
the fidelity, ability, singleness of purpose, and eminent 



\ success with whicli lie lias discliarged tlie varied and im- 
l • . . . I 

] portant duties of liis appointment— manifesting at all times j 

his entire devotion to the welfare of the University-— 

I with unwearied assiduity watching over its interests— j 

I ^ 

I imparting to the students who have been educated here j 

the rich treasures of his cultivated and original mind- — » j 

I imbuing them with that intellectual and moral culture 

which prepa,res for the fulfilment, with dignity and honor, 

of the duties which appertain to them as citizens, and 

giving them that religious instruction which qualifies for 

the discharge of their paramount duties to God. 

Resolved, That while we deeply feel the privation to 
which we shall be subjected in being officially separated 
from President Waylaud, we rejoice in the belief that he 
will, in his retirement, continue to advance the cause of 
education, to promote, in an enduring form, the extension 
of knowledge and to benefit his fellow men by his matured 
counsels and ripened wisdom. 

Resolved, That we tender to him the assurance of our 
sincere regard, unwavering confidence, and entire respect. 

The Secretary then presented the following votes 
which were unanimously adopted. 

Voted, That the resolutions offered by the Chancellor, 
together with his remarks introducing them, be entered 
on the records of the University. 

Voted, That the Secretary, John Brown Francis and 
Thomas Burgess be a Committee to cause a copy of the 
same to be furnished ,to President Wayland, at such time 
and in such manner as they may deem most appropriate. 



It was then voted that the Corporation proceed to 
the election of President. 

The Rev. Barnas Sears, D. D. Secretary and Executive 
Agent of the Board of Education in Massachusetts, was 
unanimously elected President of Brown University, and 
Professor of Moral and Intellectual philosophy. 

Voted, That Messrs. Kingsbury, Tobey and Bishop, be 
a committee to inform the Eev. Dr. Sears of his elec- 
tion, and to secure his services at the earliest possible 
period. 

Voted, That the Executive Board be authorized to 
make all the necessary arrangements for the induction of 
Dr. Sears into the offices of President and Professor of 
Moral and Intellectual Philosophy. 

Voted, That Messrs. Kingsbury, Tobey, and Granger, 
bt) a committee to present in due form the newly elected 
President to the Faculty and the Students. 

Voted, That Messrs. Kingsbury, Shepard, and S. G. 
Arnold l)e a committee to prepare a memorial of the 
proceedings of the Corporation and of the Alumni in 
reference to the resignation of President Wayland, and 
to cause a sufficient number of copies to be printed for 
general circulation among the graduates of the University. 

In compliance with the vote of the Corporation that 
a copy of the resolutions offered by the Chancellor and 
his remarks introducing them, be presented to Presi- 
dent Wayland, the committee requested the Chancel- 
lor* to make a public presentation of them on Com- 



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mcncement day, at the close of the exercises of the 
graduating class. In the discharge of this duty he deliv- 
ered the following address. 

Gentlemen Alumni and Fellow Citizens: 

Commencement day is always invested with interest. 
This is manifested by the numbers that come up hither. 
In Rhode Island it is a universal holiday, sanctioned as 
such by time honored usage and by the laws of the State. 
It is a cheering indication of the regard universally felt for 
this ancient and cherished Institution. Besides this gen- 
eral interest with which all appear to be possessed, many 
are the throbbing hearts now present to witness the first 
public effort of a son, a brother or beloved young friend — 
sympathizing with him in all his anxieties — partaking with 
him in his hopes — extending to him best wishes for the 
future that is opening before him. But apart from these 
considerations which are common to every recurring an- 
niversary, there are circumstances connected with the 
present day which excite new and unwonted emotions. 
It is generally known that he who for nearly a whole 
generation has been the head of this University now for 
the last time confers its honors on the graduating class. 
It has been made public that President Wayland has 
tendered to the Corporation the resignation of the office 
he has so long filled — and it has been deemed proper 
that in the presence of the assembled sons of the College 
and of all those now congregated here, the action of the 
Boards of Fellows and Trustees on accepting his resig; 
nation should be made known. 



10 



It would be unparclonal)lc in me to occupy time in 
reviewing- the changes that have taken place in the Uni- 
versity since the accession of Dr. Wayland to the Presi- 
dency. The estaldishment of the Library upon a firm 
basis, insuring its steady augmentation and ultimate 
greatness — the increased means of illustrating and de- 
monstrating the truths of science by the very perfect 
and extended philosophical and chemical apparatus — 
the creation of several new professorships — the erection 
of Manning Hall, Rhode Island Hall, and the new and 
commodious house for the occupancy of the President — 
the vastly improved appearance of the College grounds — 
the sii))stitution of the graceful elm for the unsightly 
poplar — the establishment of premiums for excellence in 
scholarship — the recent munificent endowment by the 
spontaneous liberality not only of members of the Cor- 
poration, but of numerous other contributors, by which 
the new departments of science have been established, 
enabling those Avho cannot attend a full com'se of Colle- 
giate study to prepare themselves for their chosen pur- 
suits in life — and above all the elevation of the whole 
standard of instruction and the intellectual and moral 
tone of the College — all these are themes which are 
naturally suggested by the present occasion, but on which 
we are forbidden to dwell. Aided by a learned, in- 
defatigable and devoted Faculty — by a Corporation zeal- 
ous in the cause of education — these, with the blessing of 
Heaven, are some of the important achievements of the 
President — these are the fruits of the ceaseless assiduity, 



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skill and care with -wHch lie has administered the affairs 
of the University. They are enduring in their effects, 
and their good influences may now be seen in the 
characters of those whom he has trained for the duties 
of life, and who delight to honor him as their ^' guide, 
philosopher and friend." These labors, which he has so 
diligently prosecuted have also secured for him the last- 
ing gratitude and affection of the students who during 
the successive years of his Presidency have gone forth 
from the shades of the University. They have borne 
into the various walks of life the enlarged and generous 
views, the lofty and liberal spirit which he has imparted 
to them. His aim has been not to kindle within them 
the fires of a selfish ambition, but to teach them how to 
labor for others' good — to lead them to no idolatry of 
human reason, but to the worship of God' — to set before 
them not the deceitful dogmas of a sceptical philosophy, 
but the pure precepts of the Gospel of Christ, applied to 
the varied and manifold relations of men. 

I am sure every graduate under President Wayland 
will respond to these sentiments and will declare them to 
be unexaggerated truth. Nor have his services been con- 
fined within the College walls. His influence for good 
has been widely diffused through our city, our State and 
our country. In every emergency we have been accus- 
tomed to turn to him, and have found him ever prepared 
to counsel and to aid us. We have witnessed at all times 
his readiness to respond to the calls of duty, not seeking 
popularity and ephemeral applause, but with unflinching 



12 



firmness adhering to truth and right and jnstice. He has 
thus secured to himself a fame that will not pcri^ll — a 
name that cannot die. Such an example is worthy of all 
imitation and especially do I invoke the yonng men who 
have now received from his hand the honors of the Uni- 
versity, to keep it steadily before them. Yon may not all 
stand as he now stands, prominent in view of the whole 
land — you may not reach the exalted place which he holds 
as a teacher and a moralist, an author and divine, — 
hut by the same industry, fidelity, adherence to principle 
and devotion to dnty, you will not fail to attain high 
excellence — to be honored by men and rewarded by God. 
AVhile we thus speak of the services of President 
Wayland — while we thus regret that the time has come 
when he feels compelled to relinqnish his high trust — the 
Corporation may well congratulate themselves in having 
found a gentleman to fill the vacancy thus made, so emi- 
nently qualified for this responsible position — a gentle- 
man who brings with him an exalted reputation as a 
scholar and teacher — one whose influence has been 
widely felt and everywhere acknowledged — who has 
secured to himself enduring laurels, and Avho we have no 
doubt, in this appointment will add to the wreath which 
already encircles his brow. I am sure, my fellow citizens, 
we shall all imite in welcoming to our city and our homes 
and in extending an open hand to Pr. AVayland's succes- 
sor, President Barxas Sears. 

Presipext Waylaxd, — on receiving thy resignation of 
the Presidency of Brown Univei*sity and Professor of 



la 



Moral and Litellootual Philosopliy, a series of resolutions 
with some prefatory remarks wore ofiored which the 
Co]'])()i'aiu)n iinaniinoiisly accepted, and dirccLiid l,li:i,(, 
they be recorded a,iid a copy of tliciii riiiMii,slicd to tlic.o. 
Believe mo, when I assure thee, that tlicy are not \.Un 
record of mere formal words, but that they embody the 
heartfelt Honthucnts of tliose who have so long and so 
happily labored vvitli these to promoiei the interests of 
tlie College. They but IcuVldy convey our sense of the 
<j;ood ihoti hast accomplished. 

''J''h(i (JhaiKUilh)!' h(!i'0 I'cad to the audience a certified 
copy iVum the records of the action of the Corporation 
on the rcsi<i;nation of President Wayland, and closed his 
address in tlie followinji; words : 

In accordance with the instructions of the Corporation 
I now present thee, President Wayland, with an oflicial 
copy of tliesc resolutions and the introductory address 
as spread u[)0ii ilic records. 

r>() phrased to accept from me personally tlic expres- 
HJon of my ferv(!nt d(!sii'e thsit tlie Preserver of men may 
continue to guide, j)rotect and keep thee, and that as in 
days that are past, we may in time to come still ))c often 
permitted to take " sweet counsel together." 

Rev. Dr. Wayland replied as follows : 

Mit, CllANCKI,L0It : 

.1 b(!g you to acjcept for yourself and for tlie gentlemen 
with whom you are associated my grateful acknowledge- 



14 



ments for tlic kindness 'with which you have been pleased 
to estimate my imperfect services. 

If tlie Corporation of Brown University believe that I 
have faithfully endeavored to do my duty, I desire no 
higher earthly reward. 

MEETING OF THE ALUMNI. 

At a meeting of the Alumni of Brown University, held 
in Manning Hall, on Tuesday, the 4tli of September, 1855, 
it having been announced that the Eev. Dr. Wayland 
had resigned the office of President of the University, 
the following resolutions, presented by Hon. Benjamin 
F. Thomas and seconded by Hon. John H. Clifford, were 
unanimously adopted. 

Resolved, That the Alumni of this University have 
heard with profound regret that Francis Wayland has 
retired from the office of its President. 

Resolved, That his clear, strong mind, his accurate 
learning, his vigorous common sense, his energetic will, 
his thorough knowledge of the interests and wants of 
the country and of the age, and his endowment, in so 
large a measure, with that rarest of all faculties, the 
power to teach, to cast other minds in the mould of his 
own, admirably fitted him for the duties of his great 
office. And that we review to-day with pleasure and 
pride his long, rich and successful administration, grate- 
fully recalling his generous, unwearied self devotion 
to the welfare of the University, the new and lasting im- 
pulse he gave to all hci* interests, the enlargement of 



15 



her sphere and capacities of usefulness, the impression 
of his own mind and character he made upon so many of 
his pupils, the respect and honor he has acquired in the 
world of letters and reflected upon the University. 

Resolved, That those of us whose great privilege it 
was to have been his pupils, bring to him the offering of 
filial love and gratitude. We thank him for the thorough 
fidelity with which he discharged his trust, for the vigo- 
rous discipline of mind and heart he sought to give us, 
for his affectionate interest in our progress, for his 
words of wisdom, counsel and reproof, and for the beauti- 
ful illustration of a true life given to God and duty, 
which his own example furnished us. 

Resolved, That Dr. Wayland carries with him to his 
retirement, our earnest wish that there may be a long 
and happy evening to a manly and useful life, that he 
may be yet spared to render eminent service to the 
cause of religion and letters, and that the day may be 
far distant when the voice of affectionate greeting shall 
be changed to that of eulogy. 

In presenting these resolutions to President Wayland, 
at the Commencement dinner, Sept. 5tli, Judge Thomas 
addressed him substantially as follows : 

I rise, Mr. President, for the discharge of a painful 
and yet a grateful duty. The Alumni of the University, 
having heard of your resignation of the of&ce you have 
so long held with signal honor to yourself and signal ad- 
vantage to her, met yesterday to give utterance to the 



16 



feelings which that event naturally awakened. They 
passed resolutions (would they were worthier) expressing 
their sense of the value of your services to the College 
and of the loss she has sustained by your retirement. 
They instructed their committee (Gov. Clifford, of New 
Bedford, Hon. Mr. Bradley of this city, and myself) to 
present these resolutions to you to-day, the last time we 
shall have the pleasure of meeting you in this near and 
interesting relation. 

It is but little to say, that these resolutions were 
passed unanimously — there was but one mind and one 
heart in the assembly, and that mind and heart were but 
one — for the calmest result of the judgment was in liar- 
mony with the warmest feelings of the heart. Wo did 
not however forget that we were speaking of and to the 
living, and in avoiding what may be said to be the nat- 
ural warmth of eulogy — that, we trust, far distant service 
to come from the trembling lips of some later pupils — we 
may have assumed a tone too subdued. 

One of these resolutions comes from those whose priv- 
ilege it was to have been your immediate pupils. Of 
that resolution, as one of the earlier of those pupils, I 
will say a word. I should be sorry if I thought myself 
capable of making a formal speech in an hour like this. 
You are, Mr. President, too largely my creditor for me 
to judge calmly and wisely. I cannot pay the debt. I 
do not ask you to forgive it. I can and will confess it. 
More than twenty years ago it ripened into a judgment 
and yet no lapse of time will bar it. Hundreds around 



It 



joii owe the like debt. It grows ever. It is an in- 
vestment for all time. If you see in it, as I know you 
do, the true riches, more than the wealth of an Astor is 
yours. Its bonds are stronger than those of the rail- 
road, its pulse is quicker than that of the telegraph. It 
is the tribute of loving hearts. It is the debt of filial 
gratitude. 

I came here to-day, Mr. President, to say now what 
I have often said at home and to my own pupils, and 
what this seems to me a fitting occasion to say more 
publicly. 

It has been my privilege for three years to be your 
pupil. I have seen and have had other eminent masters ; 
Joseph Story, whose name is identified with the juris- 
prudence of his country ; John Hooker Ashmun, who, 
an invalid for years and dying at the early age of thirty- 
three, as a lawyer, left behind him no superior in Massa- 
chusetts, whose mind had the point of the diamond and 
the clearness of its waters ] Pliny Merrick, who graces 
the bench on which I have the honor to sit, but of whom 
my near relation to him forbids me to speak as I would. 
A quarter of a century has passed since I left these 
walls with your blessing. I have seen something of 
men and of the world since. I esteem it to-day the 
happiest event of my life that brought me here, the best 
gift of an ever kind Providence to me, that I was permit- 
ted for three years to sit at the feet of your instruction. 

Others may speak and think of the writer and scholar, 
my tribute is to the great teacher ; and he is not the 



li 



great teacher who fills the mind of his pupil from the 
affluence of his learning or works most for him, but who 
has the rarer faculty of drawing out and developing the 
mind of another and making him work for himself. 
Rarest of all God's gifts to men. Great statesmen, 
great orators, great jurists are successful and useful in 
the degree that they are great teachers. Office of une- 
qualled dignity and worth — even our divine Lord and 
Master we call the " Great Teacher." 

Mr. President, if I have acquired any consideration in 
my own beloved Commonwealth, if I have worthily won 
any honor, I can and do with a grateful heart bring 
them to-day and lay them at your feet ; Teucro diice ct 
auspice Teucro. 

MEETING OF THE FACULTY. 

At a meeting of the Faculty of Brown University, held 
September 5th, 1855, a committee was appointed, con- 
sisting of Professor Chace, Professor Caswell and Pro- 
fessor Dunn, to prepare and present resolutions embody- 
ing the sentiments of the Faculty, in regard to the resig- 
nation by Dr. Wayland of his office as President of the 
University. 

At a subsequent meeting, the following preamble and 
resolutions were presented by Professor Chace, and 
adopted by the Faculty : 

Whereas, the Reverend Francis Wayland, D.D., LL.D., 
who for more than a quarter of a century has presided 
over this University, has now retired from its affairs : 



19 



Resolved, That we contemplate with profound sensi- 
bility an event which severs our official relations to one, 
with whom we have been so long and so pleasantly asso- 
ciated in the labor of instruction and government, and 
to whom so many of us have also sustained the relation 
of pupils. 

Resolved, That, while We keep in remembrance his 
constant example of fidelity and stern devotion to the 
interests of the University, we cherish a lively recollec- 
tion of the unfailing kindness and courtesy, which have 
ever marked his official intercourse with us. 

Resolved, That we hold in the highest estimation the 
services rendered by Dr. "Wayland to the cause of educa- 
tion and good learning, whether by his instructions 
within the walls of the University or by the able and 
widely extended productions of his pen. 

Resolved, That in this his retirement from the scene 
of his academic labors he is followed by our warmest 
affections and sympathies, and by our sincere desire, that, 
sustained by the solaces of friendship, literature and re- 
ligion, the declining years of his life may be as tranquil 
and happy, as its mature manhood has been useful and 
honorable. 

Resolved, That these resolutions be entered upon the 
records of the Faculty, and that a copy of them be pre- 
sented to Dr. Wayland by the Secretary. 

In compliance with the vote of the Corporation, the. 
Executive Board appointed a committee to make suita- 



r~ 



20 



Lie arrangements for the inauguration of President Sears. 
It was subsequently found that the duties of the Presi- 
dent elect which yet remained to be discharged in Massa- 
chusetts, together with those in the Universitj'', would 
preclude him from making preparation for the inaugural 
services till a period so late in the season as to divest the 
occasion of that interest which is always necessary to 
give effectiveness to public ceremonies. It was there- 
fore decided to omit these scr^'ices altogether. 

The Chancellor, in behalf of the committee appointed 
for the induction of President Sears into his office, at- 
tended the services in the chapel at the commencement 
of the term and made the following address. 

Gentlemen of the Faculty and Students of Bboavn University : 

Our purpose in meeting you this morning is to an- 
nounce officially that the Rev. Barnas Sears, D.D. has 
been appointed by the Corporation, President of this Uni- 
versity and also Professor of Moral and Intellectual 
Philosophy. To all of you, gentlemen of the Faculty, 
he is already well known, and we are assured that you 
will receive him, in the position in which he is now placed, 
with great satisfaction and cordiality. Permit me to 
say on this occasion and in this presence, that the Cor- 
poration very sensibly and gratefully feel that in you, as 
a united Faculty, they have that efficiency, talent and 
strength whicli entitle this College to the fullest confi- 
dence of the community at large, and place it second to 



21 



none in our land as a seat of learning — and they desire 
to aid you, by every means they can command, in the 
discharge of your high and responsible duties. 

Gentlemen Students — The Corporation have great 
pleasure in believing that you will not only cheerfully ac- 
cord to President Sears, that constant, respectful atten- 
tion to which his official station entitles him, but also 
that you will find, in his devotion to your interests, a sure 
incentive to render his administration, as head of this 
University, so far as it lies in your power, a pleasant one 
to himself. 

We need not say to you that you have, in the Faculty 
before you, that combination of profound learning, ability 
in instruction, kindness of feeling aud untiring exertion 
which demands your highest respect — your undeviating 
fidelity. 

By yielding a willing obedience to the laws of the 
University, by applying yourselves assiduously to the 
acquisition of that knowledge which is opened to you 
within these walls — your time here will be passed to 
your own satisfaction — you will lay a solid foundation 
for future usefulness and honorable distinction in life, 
and in years to come you will remember with delight 
your College days. 

Young gentlemen, you have our very best wishes, and 
we commend every one of you to the protecting care of 
God. 

I now introduce to you President Sears. 



22 



President Scars addressed the students as follows : 

Young Gentlemen : 

I am well aware of the grave nature of the duties 
which I have undertaken to discharge in accepting the 
office to which I have been called. My humble abilities, 
too favorably viewed by the Corporation and its official 
organ who has honored me with this presentation, shall 
be faithfully devoted to the interests of those committed 
to my charge. I am greatly encouraged by seeing 
around me a body of able, and, for the most part, expe- 
rienced instructors, on- Whose counsel and cooperation I 
may safely rely. The general subject to which I am 
called to direct my attention is, indeed, not new. With 
education, in some form, I have been occupied the greater 
part of my life. My interest in the subject is second to 
tliat of no one. I am deeply interested in young men 
at that period of life when their characters are formed. 
In you I see those, who have left their homes and the 
influence of daily parental example and counsel, perhaps 
for the first time. Certainly you are now in a situation 
whicli requires some independence of character. Your 
opinions are to be formed anew. Your intellects are to 
be exercised, and your minds intensely employed in 
academical study just at the period of their most rapid 
growth. The intellectual character here formed will 
probably continue through life. To do what I may to 
aid you in this important preparatory work will be the 
object of my highest Ambition. I sliall rely on the in- 



23 



genuousness^ characteristic of youth, for a reciprocity of 
feeling and action. While we seek only your good in 
the highest degree, on broad and generous principles, 
we may safely trust that you, on your part, will pursue 
your studies with the same end in view. Yield your- 
selves, then, confidingly to that honorable career of in- 
tellectual and moral improvement in which it will be my 
delight to aid you, and spend these few golden years, 
devoted to liberal studies, in such a way that society at 
large, and yourselves individually, may long enjoy the 
benefit and rejoice in the fruits of it. 



